Keeping You In The Know

Beating the Wintertime Blues

As winter approaches and the sun slowly disappears, many students begin to struggle with a variety of problems. Whether it’s being away from home, a ridiculous workload of homework, general stress or just a combination of all these things, every student suffers from some form of wintertime blues. Here’s a few suggestions to help you relax and see the light again.

Relax. The absolute most important thing to remember is to just relax. Believe it or not, stress happens to everyone. Sometimes the best way to deal with problems is to take a step back and look at them from the outside. Go out with friends, do something you love or find a new hobby. Whatever you choose to do, just let yourself forget your problems for a bit and come back to them with a fresh mind.

Meditating. A lot of people assume that meditation consists of deep thinking. For the most part, this isn’t true. Most meditation practices actually help to free your mind from your thoughts and your obsessions. Find a flat surface, sit up and focus on your breathing. As you sit still, try to manually relax each muscle in your body. Strive towards the goal of absolute silence…meaning no thoughts or emotions. I promise you it’s absurdly relaxing!

Meet new people. Another great way to get a new perspective on your world is to meet some new people. Get to know them and see what their views are. It’s very refreshing, and you never know who you’ll meet!

Clean. Try tidying up your dorm or apartment. Many times, a clustered room or environment can cause clustered thoughts and emotions. If you couldn’t tell, it’s not a good thing.

Get off campus. Sometimes a change in surroundings can help more than you can imagine. It sounds weird, but it really does work. Go to the mall or to a hiking trail nearby. Exercise is also a great way to perk up, so get moving! Do whatever you can to explore and get out of your cramped dorm.

While trying any of these suggestions, just make sure you remember that you are not alone in this. College isn’t exactly the easiest time in a person’s life, but that doesn’t mean you can’t relax and have fun. If you have any other ideas or methods of relaxing and staying cheery, let us know!